Rodeway Inn Owner Sentenced To Jail For Lying To Department of Labor

A local hotel owner who pleaded guilty in federal court to lying to investigators about wages has now been sentenced.

The US Attorney’s Office in Western Michigan announced Wednesday that 31-year-old Mehul Patel of Battle Creek, also known as Mike, was sentenced to 2 months in jail and a $10,000 fine, with a ruling promised to come within a month on $250,000 in restitution. Patel pled guilty in February to concealing a material fact from the federal government, a charge stemming from a Department of Labor investigation into his businesses.

Back in 2005, the DOL found that he was paying his employees less than minimum wage, and he did agree to pay back wages; however, after sending copies of the checks to the DOL, Patel then forced his employees to give him that money back.

Patel runs the Rodeway Inn in Battle Creek, and the Super 8 in Coldwater.